Breath of Life
by uoduck
Summary: When Castiel and all the angels go to rescue Dean Winchester, they find a hellhound guarding him. Acting on something, maybe instinct, maybe something else unknown, Castiel picks up the hellhound along with Dean and flies them both out of hell. The instant they're out, the hellhound runs off, disappearing... Castiel/Sam/Dean/Harry
1. Chapter 1

AN: I do not own either Supernatural or Harry Potter.

This will be Castiel/Dean/Sam/Harry, like a lot of my readers wanted.

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><p>When Castiel arrived at the place where his Grace was telling him to go, he stopped and tilted his head in confusion. Dean's soul was strapped to the rack which was to be expected but there was a hellhound lying on the ground in front of him. Castiel took a step toward Dean, wings behind him beating almost anxiously, and stopped when the hellhound got up and stared at him, growled and bared its' teeth.<p>

Castiel used a little of his grace to examine the hellhound and when his energy touched the hound, the creature stopped, shock still. Then it... sighed in relief, shook like a wet dog and tilted its' head to look up at Castiel. Castiel saw its eyes widen then the dog started to howl quietly. To Castiel, the sound seemed... unsure, maybe hesitant? He was unsure about what the hound was trying to communicate to its kin.

_Castiel, that will bring more hounds to your position! Kill it now!_

The hellhound was not one that Castiel had seen before. It had blue fire burning around and on it and it was a lot bigger than the others. And when it peered up at him, Castiel tilted his head. The hound had hazy green eyes unlike the red eyes of the creatures that he had seen before. Its' ears were long and alert for danger, regardless of the fact that hell was the home for every hound and demon.

Castiel raised his angel blade and crouched, ready to kill yet another hound of hell but the hound made no move toward him. In fact, the hellhound even turned and started to chew at Dean's ropes. It yelped in pain once or twice then took a step back, sitting on its haunches. It started to lick its paws, whining a little. The hunter had been unconscious but now he woke up, turning to peer at the hound.

"'S it time?"

Castiel looked at the hound as it appeared to nod up at Dean then turned to glance at Castiel, as if asking for help. It was no longer acting aggressive toward the angel, ears relaxed and tail wagging a little. Castiel strode up and sliced through the ropes holding Dean in place, catching the hunter by his left shoulder. Dean whimpered a little then passed out.

When Castiel was just about to fly out, the hound barked. The blue fire around the creature flared then subsided as the hound padded over to Castiel's side, wrapping its' curved tail around one of Castiel's legs. It looked up at him and yawned, showing fangs and teeth that were dripping red. However, Castiel instinctively knew that the blood was not Dean's.

"What are you doing?"

The hound whined and glared up at him, turned to look at the hunter in his arms.

"I won't hesitate to smite you if you move again, creature."

The hellhound glanced up at him, panted a little. Castiel almost thought it looked like it was smiling. But that wasn't normal behavior for a hellhound, despite the fact that he really didn't know what hell hounds did when they weren't hunting their prey.

Sounds of fighting reached Castiel's ears. He glanced down at the hound then at the hunter who had broken the first seal and made up his mind. Castiel scooped up the hound with his other hand and flew upward, wings beating, as he flew past other angels. The fighting around him stopped as angels smote their current targets and joined him, awe in their eyes as their gazes ran to Dean.

_Castiel, why are you holding one of those hounds?_

_ Brother? Our orders were to rescue the hunter. Not to lift a hound out of hell._

_ You should have smote that disgusting creature, not picked it up and flew with it._

Castiel glanced at Uriel and at the angel on his other side. The hound had not even yelped when Castiel had picked it up, even going so far as to lean into his arm.

_I... felt something when it looked at me._

_ Felt something?_

_ Are you sure hanging out with Gabriel before he left hasn't influenced you?_

_ Uriel, just focus on the mission. The hound will be my responsibility._

Castiel increased his speed, trudging through the heat and evil that was hell.

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><p>The minute that the angels broke through hell and rose up into fresh air and onto land, the hound in Castiel's hand barked and squirmed around. Castiel instantly flew from where they appeared to where Dean's body was, Dean's glowing but a little tinged with dark, soul in his other hand. The hound started to squirm a lot more, though it was taking care to not jostle the soul in Castiel's arms. The blue fire around the hound was still flaring in small amounts around the dog's body and it didn't even touch the angel.<p>

_Let me go._

Castiel started when the words appeared in his brain. He glanced around the dusty, dirty area that he had landed in only to see that there was nothing there. The trees that had grown up around Dean Winchester's burial area were now dead, flattened by the sheer amount of energy that had permeated the area by an angel, a soul and a hellhound.

_I'm not going to hurt anyone. Well, anyone that doesn't deserve it. Let me go. _

_ "_I did not realize hellhounds could speak," Castiel remarked. "Let alone speaking in a British accent."

_Everyone except me. And for the accent...I lived in London. If you're curious, come find me later. I'm sure angels can track energy readings. That's how you found Dean, wasn't it?_

Castiel peered down at the hellhound then at the soul in his hands. It stared up at him, flicked an ear then gestured to the ground with a paw. He slowly lowered the hound down to the ground and the instant that Castiel released it, it shot off into the distance. It didn't even look back at all but it did give a loud, joyous roar, blue flames shooting up into the sky around it.

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><p>"Do you remember anything?" Sam asked as they all started to relax. Or relax as much as they could. Sam was still kind of in shock that he had his brother back. His brother back from Hell. He never would have imagined getting his brother back without him being... a demon.<p>

Ruby had gone while everyone was preoccupied and maybe Dean and Bobby wouldn't have killed her on the spot if they knew. Maybe they would have. Sam wanted to be more cautious than loose her.

Dean stared at him then at Bobby who was taking a sip of his beer. "Of Hell? Nothing much except smoke and fire."

"Well, maybe that's for the better," Sam remarked, opening his own drink.

"And a voice with a British accent," Dean added hesitantly. "I heard it a few times."

"A voice with a British accent?" Sam repeated, raising an eyebrow. "That's the only other thing you remember?"

Dean snorted. "It was probably nothing on second thought. I know it sounds crazy. Hearing a male voice with a British accent."

"We could do a little research," Sam suggested idly.

"And look for what, Sam?" Dean retorted. "There are probably less British people in hell than you think."

Bobby laughed. "They're probably more careful these days, being all proper and English. It's good to have you back, Dean."

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><p>Harry Potter slowly shifted back to his human form as soon as he could smell water, taking care to not rush anything. This would be the first time on two legs since... since he had first been dragged to Hell by one of Voldemort's minions. Since he had realized that Voldemort was in fact, a demon and not human at all. Some of the Snatchers had been demons too and during that final battle, Riddle had ordered a few of them to drag him to hell.<p>

Granted, he had fought tooth and nail before being knocked out by a couple demons and a few hellhounds. He had been a regular werewolf at the time and hadn't even come close to being able to fight back against seven demons.

He had spent 35 years in hell before he had had seen Dean Winchester. 35 years in his wolf form. 35 years spent with the wolf front and center. He had let his wolf take charge and had receded into his mind, protecting himself from any and all torture.

Admittedly he might have gone more than a little feral. He did realize now that he had changed. He realized that he may have been a werewolf before Hell but now... he was different. The blue fire was still flaring around his body and he was lucky that he had picked a spot that was on the edge of the coastal town that he had picked, otherwise he probably would have gotten spotted. The fire around him flowed, changing color to red then to green then finally changing back to blue. Harry sighed. He wasn't a werewolf now. He would need to find a mirror and shift in front of it to know what he looked like now. Now... the creature inside him was a hound of hell though he didn't feel any different.

But when he had seen Dean, he realized that he was special but in what way, he hadn't really had the knowledge. He had watched as the human hunter had broken on the rack and had gotten up to do some of the torturing himself. His distant human heart had broken at the sight of the torment on the man's face as he did it. And broke some more when he saw hints of pleasure on Dean's face when he did it.

His mind had come up when he had heard the sounds of demons screaming before they had become smote. Fought his way back to the forefront of his mind and body with the help of the angel's Grace.

Before all of this... He hadn't known that there was even a Hell. Or that demons were real. To realize that angels were real... well. Instinctively, he had known that one of them could pull him out of hell and he had stuck close to Dean as the wolf always had. He hadn't been able to protect Dean a lot but when he had seen the angel walking up to him, he knew that the warrior would be pulling the hunter out of hell. He had only gone along for the ride and gratefully. He had unfinished business back on Earth.

He knew... could already feel that Voldemort wasn't dead and he wasn't even on British soil.


	2. Chapter 2

Before Harry apparated anywhere near Hogwarts, he snuck into Gringotts, where he had kept some spare clothes, armor, and a potions kit and a few spare weapons. The goblins were quite happy to see him, as apparently Voldemort had been running amok in London and most of Britain. The wizarding community didn't know how to deal with a Voldemort that was stronger, faster, and had a lot more magic, albeit really strange magic, than most wizards. Hell, Harry had noticed a few groups of demons and one or two hellhounds patrolling the Alley.

He pulled on some dragonhide armor, strapped a wand holster to his wrist, figuring that his next destination was to Ollivanders'. Though, he wondered if the strange wizard was still selling wands. Last he had checked, Ollivander was gone. And just as he was about to leave, his gaze stopped on something shiny in the corner of his vault.

Harry's eyes widened when he saw that the Sword of Griffindor was sitting right up against the wall, almost waiting to be found. He picked it up, careful of the blade, and hefted it once or twice. Due to being a werewolf turned hellhound, he was stronger than normal people. Probably stronger than normal werewolves too. It definitely felt lighter than when he had wielded it in his second year. He shrugged, strode over to pick up a sheath for it and sheathed it, strapping it to his back. He figured that despite the fact that he didn't really know how to use a sword, it would be effective against demons, what with the remaining basilisk blood on it and that it was made by goblins.

He heard Garlok outside mutter in their language, almost frantic like.

"Mr. Potter, one of the patrols is coming to Gringotts. We must get you out of here!"

Harry strode out of his vault and shuffled into the cart. "Is there a way to move all of my money and belongings to a bank in America?"

The goblin looked at him strangely. "Yes, there is. You will need to arrange that with Ragnok."

Harry nodded. "Good. I want to deal with the patrol. Voldemort doesn't do small patrolling, does he?"

Garlok winced, probably at Harry's usage of the name. "No, we have made sure he doesn't come straight into Gringotts. It's one of his Death Eaters and a few of the more strange creatures."

"Alright. I want to see what they're after," Harry said, as the goblin started the cart. "Then I'm going to start taking out Voldemort's forces."

Garlok grinned rather toothily. "We have been looking forward to having you back."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You mean... you knew I was going to come back?"

"Not exactly. We hoped," Garlok remarked, looking him over. "You certainly came back different however."

"You can sense that, huh?" Harry asked, glancing down at himself to make sure the hellfire that always surrounded him was not there. It wasn't. He would have to make sure to learn better control in his human form though, just so he wouldn't freak anyone out.

"We goblins can sense anything but your eyes are glowing red a little. Even... the war that is brewing over in the States," Garlok said as the cart started the trip up. "I believe your presence will be needed there."

Harry nodded distractedly, closing his eyes briefly. The redness that the goblin had mentioned was probably some of his Hell showing through. He already figured on going back to the States when Voldemort had been defeated and he... he wanted to make sure Dean and his brother were safe. And the angel had intrigued him. Being in his arms, even during the relatively short trip back up to Earth, had made him feel... safe and he hadn't really felt that emotion in a long time. Plus, as he spent more and more time on two legs, he remembered some of his time in hell and he could just barely remember demons talking about things that had made his wolf worry.

"Is there anything more you can tell me?" Harry asked, just as they were about to come to a stop back in Gringotts proper.

"Ragnok will have more for you. I do believe that Ollivander left something for you also," Garlok said.

"Right."

Harry stepped out and instantly felt the presence of a demon, a wizard and two hellhounds. His magic had tagged them as what they were the minute that he had felt Hell flowing around the demon and the hounds. As they walked back, Harry stopped a good distance away from the main entrance hall of Gringotts. He didn't want to be noticed before he was ready. "Fuck, it's even worse than I thought."

Garlok looked at him.

"You wouldn't happen to have a spare wand around, would you?" Harry asked, already guessing that the goblins wouldn't have any wands around, even spares.

"Stay here. Ragnok did say you should receive something when you came. I believe it will help you greatly in the coming days."

Garlok stepped out of the cart and ran through the hallway, dodging other goblins. Harry rocked back on his heels, putting his hand on the hilt of Griffindor's sword impatiently. He could hear talking and a little growling though he couldn't really hear what anyone was saying. He waited for a few minutes before hearing and smelling the particular smell of Garlok.

He could hear and see a goblin going up to the Death Eater and asking something. There were other customers in the main room of Gringotts who had stopped what they were doing, only to stare at the Death Eater with more than a little fear in their eyes. Harry sighed and willed a listening spell into affect.

"And what would you be doing here?" The goblin asked, staring up at the Death Eater. The demon and the two hounds were still waiting in the entry way and it looked like they were the muscle or three particularly ugly bouncers. He saw right through the demon and right at its real face.

"We have come for the weekly protection fee." The Death Eater replied, smirking and drawing his wand. Harry looked more closely at Voldemort's minion, trying to see if he recognized the guy, but either it had been a really long time since his fourth year(which it had been) or the Death Eater wasn't one he recognized.

"Here."

Harry peered down at the goblin and his jaw dropped. Garlok was holding a staff, carved with a wolf and a snake. Harry reached out a hand for it, feeling like it was calling to him and Garlok held it out. Warmth flowed around him, his magic finally breathing and strengthening at being able to be focused. The hellfire in him refused to stay invisible, waving around him in little balls. Harry's eyes widened as the fire changed colors faintly, from red to really faint blue to deep green then back to dark red.

His mind also was bombarded by information, from how to kill demons to how to make sure the person they were possessing was unhurt. He had the distinct idea that this staff had been around for far longer than he had when stances for sword fighting flowed into his mind, along with which herbs and potions would be useful. More information entered his mind, everything from how demons possessed people to just about anything that he might find useful.

Garlok watched him and smirked. "A gift from Ollivander."

Harry smiled and went out to meet the patrol, once again dampening the hellfire.

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><p>"...Mr. Potter?"<p>

Harry stood in front of the remaining two creatures, the hellhounds. The goblins had already detained the Death Eater when Harry had summoned the guy's wand from him. Harry himself had taken out the demon, killing it permanently but making sure the host person was unharmed. One of the goblins had ushered the person into a side room of Gringotts and made preparations for the guy to be healed and obliviated.

But the two hellhounds had stopped, right after advancing on Harry. They were laying on their stomachs, like submissive dogs. Harry stared at them, looked over at the goblins then back at the hounds. It was like...

Harry dropped his staff and the sword and changed, shifting quickly and dropping onto four legs. He could feel horns grow on his head, horns that were alight with fire. A tail grew and fangs grew from his mouth and he growled, taking a few steps to stand over the hounds who whimpered.

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><p>Ragnok, leader of the goblins in Britain, watched as Harry Potter transformed, flowing from human to hellhound easily enough. Or at least, it looked like it was easy for him. The wizard wasn't emitting any groans or sounds of distress. Ragnok saw his employees all stop and stare at the wizard turned hellhound as it padded over to the two hounds.<p>

If Ragnok and his employees were not goblins, they wouldn't be able to see the hounds. But he was able to see the terrifying beasts. The beasts who were currently presenting their throats to Ragnok's favorite customer. The hound who was Harry Potter had horns on his big head, fangs in his mouth and red flames flaring all over his body. And Ragnok could see that this... fire was not on the other two hounds. The hounds on the floor had horns and fangs but they did not have fire. Fire that smelled like ash and sulfur, crackling around Potter.

They all watched as Potter stood over the two and moved his jaws over first one throat then the other. Ragnok could see that Potter was touching his fangs to each hound's throat but not squeezing then Potter stepped back and howled.

Ragnok winced, covering his ears and saw the other goblins do the same. The howl was eerie and it didn't sound like a regular dog's howl. It sounded feral, dark and aggressive and was joined by the two hounds on the floor as they stood up. Ragnok could see in their eyes that they were a little fearful, even these hounds of hell. By now, their other customers had been taken to a separate room by one of his employees and he would see about obliviating them. Ragnok had already assumed that Harry Potter wouldn't want anyone knowing about him being back until he was ready.

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><p>"Whose staff was this?" Harry asked Ragnok after getting filled in on what had been happening for the past five months he had been gone.<p>

Ragnok grinned toothily. "That staff was the property of Salazar Slytherin. We goblins thought it would go well with the Sword of Griffindor."

Harry's jaw dropped and he peered down at the staff again. He could feel the magic flowing within it and his own magic was humming right alongside it. The two hellhounds that he had faced down just a few hours ago were curled around him, trembling a little.

"Slytherin, while disgraced from Hogwarts, had a little trouble with these creatures," Ragnok remarked, gesturing at the hounds at Harry's feet. Harry raised an eyebrow and glanced down at them then turned back to Ragnok. "It should help you now."

Harry sighed. "Do you think the wizards and witches will have... issues with me?"

Ragnok studied him. "If they do, you will always have the Goblin nation behind you."

"That's not answering my question," Harry said, narrowing his eyes. "But thanks."

Ragnok nodded, drawing a hand across his wrinkly forehead. "Some will, I believe. I think the American contingent of wizards are a lot less... unforgiving than their British counterparts. There are also a lot less wand using wizards and witches in America, due to the dark creatures there."

"So... what you're saying..."

"Your trunks and belongings have been well taken care of and have been moved to a secure apartment," Ragnok explained. "For as long as you need it, the apartment behind Gringotts is yours."

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><p>Harry unlocked the door of the apartment that Ragnok had told him about. It was actually very well hidden as it was kind of behind Gringotts and there was the fact that Harry had never realized there was an apartment behind the bank. He didn't even think that anyone knew about it outside of the employees at Gringotts. It would be his base of operations until he had defeated Voldemort. It was also warded at the highest level by the goblins so it would take someone like... Well, he didn't even know if Voldemort would be able to force his way through it. But he had made sure a certain angel would be able to find him. And it would accommodate the hounds that he had made submit the day before.<p>

He threw his stolen cloak down onto the couch in the living room and heard more than saw the two hounds follow him. He had actually expected them to flee when he had faced them down yesterday but they hadn't. They had stuck to his side ever since, occasionally going out to find food. Harry stared at them, watched as they stared back. Their eyes glowed red and Harry felt his eyes start to glow too then the hounds whimpered and curled up right in front of the couch.

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><p>Harry was just sitting down on the couch after spending the day looking around Diagon Alley for any sign of his friends when he heard a loud wind burst. He had had to cast a strong disillusionment charm on himself and he used his invisibility cloak as well. He wanted to take no chances in outing himself to Voldemort's forces before he was ready. Or before he found his friends.<p>

The two hounds started to growl before looking to him. Harry raised an eyebrow, shushed them, nudged one of them off of his feet then stood up, walking over to open the door after summoning his staff. The sword of Griffindor was right by the door so if it was a demon at the door, Harry would be ready.

The person on the other side of the door was not what Harry was expecting. But the guy was familiar in that he was the angel that pulled both Harry and Dean out of Hell. He was wearing a tan trench coat and a blue tie and he had short black hair and blue eyes. Harry could feel himself smiling a little at the angel's appearance. No one would think this person would be anything other than...

"An accountant?" Harry blurted out, leaning against the hinges of the door. He could feel the angel's grace around the guy, blinding white light in his magical vision.

The angel stared at him, blinked. "No, I'm Castiel."

Harry snorted, raising an eyebrow. "Alright then. I'm Harry Potter."

"I know who you are," Castiel spoke, standing there, unmoving. "We thought you lost."

"You angels have known about me?" Harry questioned, fingers tightening on his staff. "About what happened for the past 7 months?"

Castiel sighed. "We were helpless to stop anything. Our father forbid us from helping you."

"Forbid you?" Harry echoed. "But surely... there was at least something you could do?"

"Michael said no," Castiel said. "There was nothing we could do."

"How long have you been possessing a human?" Harry asked, finally stepping aside and making a shooing motion behind him to the hounds. He heard them get up and pad deeper into the apartment, their claws clicking on the surface of the tile. He hoped their stink wouldn't be too noticeable. He himself had been working on keeping his smell to a minimum, hoping that it would come in handy when he went further into the heart of magical Britain.

"Three days," Castiel answered, walking into the apartment. The door closed behind him, pushed closed by Castiel's grace. "You were lost for five months."

Harry nodded idly, watching as Castiel took note of the sword by the door and the staff in his hands. "Well, let me tell you. 70 years in hell? Not my idea of a vacation."

Castiel's lips twitched up into an almost smile.

"Thank you," Harry murmured quietly as the angel came to stand before him. "Dean and I would have been down there for Merlin knows how long if you guys didn't come."

Castiel tilted his head. "It was our job. However, finding you was unexpected. Merlin?"

"Just an expression," Harry said, taking a step closer to Castiel. "So... what are you doing here? And why do you say that pulling Dean out of Hell was your job?"

"Dean Winchester is God's Chosen," Castiel said, not backing up from Harry's step forward. "We were commanded to pull him out of Hell so he may stop what is coming."

Harry nodded then winced. "What is coming?"

"Lucifer."

"Fuck."


End file.
